””’Microbacterium””’ is a genus of bacteria in the family [[Microbacteriaceae]].<ref name=”Orla-Jensen”/><ref name=”AP”/> Microbacteria are common contaminants of laboratory reagents, which can lead to their being misrepresented in [[microbiome]] data.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Salter SJ, Cox MJ, Turek EM, Calus ST, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Turner P, Parkhill J, Loman NJ, Walker AW | journal = BMC Biol | year = 2014 | volume = 12 | article-number = 87 | doi = 10.1186/s12915-014-0087-z | title = Reagent and laboratory contamination can critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses | pmid = 25387460 | pmc = 4228153 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
””’Microbacterium””’ is a genus of bacteria in the family [[Microbacteriaceae]].<ref name=”Orla-Jensen”/><ref name=”AP”/> Microbacteria are common contaminants of laboratory reagents, which can lead to their being misrepresented in [[microbiome]] data.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Salter SJ, Cox MJ, Turek EM, Calus ST, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Turner P, Parkhill J, Loman NJ, Walker AW | journal = BMC Biol | year = 2014 | volume = 12 | article-number = 87 | doi = 10.1186/s12915-014-0087-z | title = Reagent and laboratory contamination can critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses | pmid = 25387460 | pmc = 4228153 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
== Characteristics of ”Microbacterium” Species ==
* Members of ”Microbacterium” are characterized as Gram-positive, non-spore-forming rods belonging to the family ”Microbacteriaceae” within the phylum ”Actinomycetota”. Cells are short, irregular rods. The genus is widely distributed in nature, with isolates recovered from soil, freshwater, plant tissue, food product, and extreme environments. {{Cite web |title=Microbacterium – an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/microbacterium |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}
* ”Microbacterium” species are described as primarily aerobic organisms that require oxygen for growth and respiration. Aerobic metabolism is considered a defining physiological trait at the genus level and is reported in taxonomic descriptions and ecological studies. {{Cite journal |last=Hadjadj |first=Linda |last2=Rathored |first2=Jaishriram |last3=Keita |first3=Mamadou Bhoye |last4=Michelle |first4=Caroline |last5=Levasseur |first5=Anthony |last6=Raoult |first6=Didier |last7=Fournier |first7=Pierre-Edouard |last8=Rolain |first8=Jean-Marc |last9=Bittar |first9=Fadi |date=2016-04-14 |title=Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Microbacterium gorillae sp. nov. |url=https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-016-0152-z |journal=Standards in Genomic Sciences |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=32 |doi=10.1186/s40793-016-0152-z |issn=1944-3277 |pmc=4832456 |pmid=27087892}}
* Most ”Microbacterium” species are in literature as non-motile, lacking flagella or other active motility structures. Non-motility is documented in formal species descriptions and is commonly used as a diagnostic characteristic at the genus level. Although rare strain-level variation exist, non-motility is typical across the genus. {{Cite journal |last=Rahi |first=Praveen |last2=Kurli |first2=Rashmi |last3=Pansare |first3=Aabeejjeet N. |last4=Khairnar |first4=Mitesh |last5=Jagtap |first5=Shubhangi |last6=Patel |first6=Nisha B. |last7=Dastager |first7=Syed G. |last8=Lawson |first8=Paul A. |last9=Shouche |first9=Yogesh S. |date=2018 |title=Microbacterium telephonicum sp. nov., isolated from the screen of a cellular phone |url=https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.002622 |journal=International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=1052–1058 |doi=10.1099/ijsem.0.002622 |issn=1466-5034}}{{Cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Poonam |last2=Diene |first2=Seydina M. |last3=Thibeaut |first3=Sandrine |last4=Bittar |first4=Fadi |last5=Roux |first5=Véronique |last6=Gomez |first6=Carine |last7=Reynaud-Gaubert |first7=Martine |last8=Rolain |first8=Jean-Marc |date=2013-05-03 |title=Phenotypic and genotypic properties of Microbacterium yannicii, a recently described multidrug resistant bacterium isolated from a lung transplanted patient with cystic fibrosis in France |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3655929/ |journal=BMC microbiology |volume=13 |pages=97 |doi=10.1186/1471-2180-13-97 |issn=1471-2180 |pmc=3655929 |pmid=23642186}}
* Many ”Microbacterium” species form yellow-pigmented colonies due to carotenoid production, but pigmentation is not universal across the genus. Numerous studies report both pigmented and non-pigmented species, indicating that pigmentation is a variable phenotypic trait rather than a defining genus characteristic. {{Cite journal |last=Karouia |first=Fathi |last2=de Oliveira |first2=Lorraine Christine |last3=Hameed |first3=Asif |last4=Simpson |first4=Anna |last5=Singh |first5=Nitin |last6=Rekha |first6=Punchappady D. |last7=Mason |first7=Christopher E. |last8=Venkateswaran |first8=Kasthuri |date=2025-10-14 |title=Genomic characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from the International Space Station |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12521503/ |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=35770 |doi=10.1038/s41598-025-13974-5 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=12521503 |pmid=41087377}}
* Several species with the genus ”Microbacterium” have been shown to produce extracellular amylase enzymes, enabling them to hydrolyze starch into simpler sugars for metabolic use. This amylolytic activity supports their role in carbohydrate degradation in soil, plant-associated, and food-related environments and is commonly reported as a biochemical trait of the genus. {{Cite journal |last=Mehta |first=Deepika |last2=Satyanarayana |first2=Tulasi |date=2016 |title=Bacterial and Archaeal α-Amylases: Diversity and Amelioration of the Desirable Characteristics for Industrial Applications |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4963412/ |journal=Frontiers in Microbiology |volume=7 |pages=1129 |doi=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01129 |issn=1664-302X |pmc=4963412 |pmid=27516755}} {{Cite journal |last=Valk |first=Vincent |last2=van der Kaaij |first2=Rachel M. |last3=Dijkhuizen |first3=Lubbert |date=2016-11-03 |title=Characterization of the starch-acting MaAmyB enzyme from Microbacterium aurum B8.A representing the novel subfamily GH13_42 with an unusual, multi-domain organization |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5093618/ |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=6 |pages=36100 |doi=10.1038/srep36100 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=5093618 |pmid=27808246}}
==Species==
==Species==
* ”[[Microbacterium zeae|M. zeae]]” <small>Gao et al. 2017</small>
* ”[[Microbacterium zeae|M. zeae]]” <small>Gao et al. 2017</small>
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
== Literature-Based Characteristics ==
==References==
==References==
Genus of bacteria
Microbacterium is a genus of bacteria in the family Microbacteriaceae.[1][2] Microbacteria are common contaminants of laboratory reagents, which can lead to their being misrepresented in microbiome data.[5]
Characteristics of Microbacterium Species
[edit]
- Microbacterium species are Gram-positive, non-spore-forming rods, isolated from diverse niches
- Members of Microbacterium are characterized as Gram-positive, non-spore-forming rods belonging to the family Microbacteriaceae within the phylum Actinomycetota. Cells are short, irregular rods. The genus is widely distributed in nature, with isolates recovered from soil, freshwater, plant tissue, food product, and extreme environments. [6]
- Microbacterium species are primarily aerobic
- Microbacterium species are commonly non-motile
- Most Microbacterium species are described in literature as non-motile, lacking flagella or other active motility structures. Non-motility is documented in formal species descriptions and is commonly used as a diagnostic characteristic at the genus level. Although rare strain-level variation exist, non-motility is typical across the genus. [8][9]
- Pigmentation varies among Microbacterium species, and not all strains produce visible pigments
- Many Microbacterium species form yellow-pigmented colonies due to carotenoid production, but pigmentation is not universal across the genus. Numerous studies report both pigmented and non-pigmented species, indicating that pigmentation is a variable phenotypic trait rather than a defining genus characteristic. [9][10]
- Many Microbacterium species possess amylase activity
- Several species with the genus Microbacterium have been shown to produce extracellular amylase enzymes, enabling them to hydrolyze starch into simpler sugars for metabolic use. This amylolytic activity supports their role in carbohydrate degradation in soil, plant-associated, and food-related environments and is commonly reported as a biochemical trait of the genus. [11] [12]
Microbacterium comprises the following species:[3]
- ^ a b Orla-Jensen S. (1919). The Lactic Acid Bacteria. Copenhagen: Host & Sons.[page needed]
- ^ a b Skerman VB, McGowan V, Sneath PH (1980). “Approved lists of bacterial names”. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 30: 225–420. doi:10.1099/00207713-30-1-225.
- ^ a b Euzéby JP, Parte AC. “Microbacterium“. List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ Takeuchi M, Hatano K (1998). “Union of the genera Microbacterium Orla-Jensen and Aureobacterium Collins et al. in a redefined genus Microbacterium“. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 48 (3): 739–747. doi:10.1099/00207713-48-3-739. PMID 9734028.
- ^ Salter SJ, Cox MJ, Turek EM, Calus ST, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Turner P, Parkhill J, Loman NJ, Walker AW (2014). “Reagent and laboratory contamination can critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses”. BMC Biol. 12 87. doi:10.1186/s12915-014-0087-z. PMC 4228153. PMID 25387460.
- ^ a b “Microbacterium – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics”. www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
- ^ Hadjadj, Linda; Rathored, Jaishriram; Keita, Mamadou Bhoye; Michelle, Caroline; Levasseur, Anthony; Raoult, Didier; Fournier, Pierre-Edouard; Rolain, Jean-Marc; Bittar, Fadi (2016-04-14). “Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Microbacterium gorillae sp. nov”. Standards in Genomic Sciences. 11 (1): 32. doi:10.1186/s40793-016-0152-z. ISSN 1944-3277. PMC 4832456. PMID 27087892.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Rahi, Praveen; Kurli, Rashmi; Pansare, Aabeejjeet N.; Khairnar, Mitesh; Jagtap, Shubhangi; Patel, Nisha B.; Dastager, Syed G.; Lawson, Paul A.; Shouche, Yogesh S. (2018). “Microbacterium telephonicum sp. nov., isolated from the screen of a cellular phone”. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 68 (4): 1052–1058. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.002622. ISSN 1466-5034.
- ^ a b Sharma, Poonam; Diene, Seydina M.; Thibeaut, Sandrine; Bittar, Fadi; Roux, Véronique; Gomez, Carine; Reynaud-Gaubert, Martine; Rolain, Jean-Marc (2013-05-03). “Phenotypic and genotypic properties of Microbacterium yannicii, a recently described multidrug resistant bacterium isolated from a lung transplanted patient with cystic fibrosis in France”. BMC microbiology. 13: 97. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-13-97. ISSN 1471-2180. PMC 3655929. PMID 23642186.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Karouia, Fathi; de Oliveira, Lorraine Christine; Hameed, Asif; Simpson, Anna; Singh, Nitin; Rekha, Punchappady D.; Mason, Christopher E.; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri (2025-10-14). “Genomic characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from the International Space Station”. Scientific Reports. 15 (1): 35770. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-13974-5. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 12521503. PMID 41087377.
- ^ Mehta, Deepika; Satyanarayana, Tulasi (2016). “Bacterial and Archaeal α-Amylases: Diversity and Amelioration of the Desirable Characteristics for Industrial Applications”. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7: 1129. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01129. ISSN 1664-302X. PMC 4963412. PMID 27516755.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Valk, Vincent; van der Kaaij, Rachel M.; Dijkhuizen, Lubbert (2016-11-03). “Characterization of the starch-acting MaAmyB enzyme from Microbacterium aurum B8.A representing the novel subfamily GH13_42 with an unusual, multi-domain organization”. Scientific Reports. 6: 36100. doi:10.1038/srep36100. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5093618. PMID 27808246.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
